The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-12-24

| ness came in part from the general serious
ness of religious works. As when the
plague reigned in Europe, or in London,
| all gayety ceased, all halls of art and pleas
ure became empty and remained closed, SO
| when Protes ant and Catholic lived in
hot warfare of words and violence all the
| forms of e adness suffered and Chris mas de-
clined, not only because of the hardness of
Puritan dogma, but also because Of the Sc
| verify of the age. The wedding-feast music
and the tbeater suffered along with the last
days OF December Melancholy sermons
and doleful poetry were more popular in
early America than Christmas gifts and
Chr stmas wreaths The inner life expresses
itself in some external symbols
These December days still stand as the
| picture of modern civilization The run
ming to and fro in street and shop, the
crowded cars. the hurrying carriages with
wives or mothers or sisters or true-loves
ms de- the evergreen trees in the market
places, the hilari of the old and the
young, the happier face of each laboring
man, each clerk, each sewing girl, proclaim
the tremendous change civilization has
| undergone since Saint Alexander Calvin,
| Edwards and Whiteteld 1t is as though
church and State aud home and workshop
were now asking Christmas to be the
emblem of their spirit or the mirror to
| catch the T images Looking in to our good
| dry so near at hand, we can see the picture
| of u Nation Rt peace and almost loaded
down with prosperity.
| II any members Of the new generation
| would learn the superiority of 1887 over
| the bygone years they can reach their in
formation by marking those four Christ
masses which came in those four win .ers
| when million men were encamped upon
the battle fields between the Potomac and
| the Il 0 Grande. A few soldiers came home
| to ct for a week, the blessed ones by
the old fre-side, but the vast multitude
were compelled to pass the sacred day in
camp or upon the labonous march Thoa-
sands were in the grave when those morn
ings dawned The bloody battle of Freder-
cksburg was fought only few days before
the coming of that joyous festival; and
| Stone River and Holly Springs came in
those days in which joy was accustomed to
| make home more of a paradise Thousands
of Chr s mas presents were on their way
tow I'd soldiers who would be deal before
the package from mother, wife or sister
! had reached tne hand and heart named on
| the gift
In those winters the December poetry was
sad as a d rye. One little waif comes back
| to memory:
"Only another sword
Dripping with human blood,
Ony another dcop,
Swelling the crimson food.
"Only another tear
Wiped from the face of time,
Only brother dear,
Lostin his manhood's prime.
"Smoothly the garments fold
Over the silent breast
Only another soul
Gone to the dreamess rest"
The morning of Dacamber % 1862, let
! its light fall upon fifteen thous md of these
silent breasts at Ch3ncsllorsylle
1t is by Wv d contrast that good and i'll,
the beauty and deformity, can be best meas.
ured. Seen in tas kind of luminous air the
presen Christmas stands forth like q wh.to
angel upon sunlit mountain top Peace,
thought, industry. a wider study Of light,
more rational religion have toled togeth-
er and have woven for this goddess of De-
cember richer rooe and a more thornless
crown.
AS in tbs festivity one can read the gen
eral condition of an age as to war and peace,
mat rial prosperity and adversely, so in its
form of happiness chosen by the indiyid-
ualS may be read the progress or decline of
personal worth. A holiday is always a test
OF character The man of bad habits and of
weak will power passes without much honor
through this time of rry-mak .ng. He
doubles the quantity Of his food and drink,
he ventures upon a bet or two in the low
card room; and instead Of doubling the
happiness of his wife and children or of his
mother and sisters he doubles Their anx ETY.
and grief II is said that the common Sun
day, which brings peace and rest to the
many brings temptation and ruin to few
of strong p ssion and weak self-controL
Laborers have often been paid only upon
Monday, that the wages might not be con-
nected with an idle day IL is pa nful re-
Election that such Christmas as the Amer
lean children and older hearts now poss SO.
"A Chris mas rescued from war, pestience,
kingcrft, Puritantsm and poverty---should
find many man wholly unable to appre-
ciate the lofty moral beauty of the day and
able to find IN it only temptation to deeper
vice
Not quite as unfortunate, but yet much to
he lamented, is the fact that many indus Jri-
GUS and honest people are too poor to CO l.
brate this day as it should be marked by
every Lrss.de. When one gees small chill.